Robert Palmer, who also goes by "Redwood Hippie," holds up a sign protesting the Keystone XL pipeline.

Robert Palmer, who also goes by "Redwood Hippie," holds up a sign protesting the Keystone XL pipeline.

Photo: Andrew Harrer, Bloomberg

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Nebraska rancher Randy Thompson, right, is seen during a rally with opponents of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

Nebraska rancher Randy Thompson, right, is seen during a rally with opponents of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Associated Press

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Stephen Bruckner speaks during a State Department public hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline in Washington, D.C.

Stephen Bruckner speaks during a State Department public hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline in Washington, D.C.

Photo: Andrew Harrer, Bloomberg

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Jan Goldman-Carter with the National Wildlife Federation, listens to a speaker during a State Department public hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline in Washington, D.C.

Jan Goldman-Carter with the National Wildlife Federation, listens to a speaker during a State Department public hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline in Washington, D.C.

Photo: Andrew Harrer, Bloomberg

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Supporters, critics face off over Keystone pipeline

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WASHINGTON - Hundreds of laborers, environmentalists, oil industry representatives and religious leaders squared off Friday at a final public hearing before the Obama administration's decision on whether to approve a controversial pipeline that would carry oil from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf Coast.

The rowdy, four-hour meeting and nearby protests illustrated the high stakes facing President Barack Obama as he prepares to decide an issue pitting two of his core constituencies - environmentalists and organized labor - against each other.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to determine by mid-November whether the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline is in the "national interest," paving the way for Obama's final decision on whether to permit the project later this year. Conservationists have cast the choice as the biggest environmental dilemma Obama has faced during three years in the White House.

If approved, Keystone XL would deliver crude harvested from oil sands projects in Alberta to refineries on the Gulf Coast and expand an existing TransCanada Corp. pipeline network that now ends in Cushing, Okla.

The new pipeline would cross through Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma on its way to Texas. The project also would provide a new route for oil extracted from the Bakken shale in Montana to reach refineries in Southeast Texas.

Friday's State Department hearing marked the last chance for the public to try to influence Clinton's national interest determination. Thousands of people showed up at eight earlier meetings in states along the pipeline route last week.

Environmental activists, Native Americans and religious leaders repeatedly told the two State Department officials who presided over Friday's meeting that the 36-inch pipeline would jeopardize drinking water supplies in the nation's heartland and keep the U.S. dependent on a form of bituminous oil that takes more energy to extract than other fossil fuels.

Oil industry representatives insisted that the $7 billion project would bolster America's energy security, allowing the import of more crude from a friendly North American ally instead of the Middle East.

Although many environmentalists oppose the development of oil sands in Canada - where a tar-like substance known as bitumen has historically been harvested through open-pit mining - industry representatives stressed that work will go on even if Keystone XL isn't built.

Ultimately, just over 70 people were able to speak, though more than 170 had signed up for the opportunity. The government will continue to take written comments about Keystone XL through Oct. 9.

The raucous hearing at times mirrored the tone of angry, wide-ranging protests just steps outside the forum, with loud jeers and cheers following many speakers. When a pipeline foe with dreadlocks loudly shouted "Kill the pipeline," the speaker he interrupted, labor representative Phillip Stephenson, responded: "Get a haircut."

Administration officials sought to downplay concerns that Clinton's mind is already made up, following the State Department's formal conclusion this summer that there would be "no significant impacts to most resources" along the pipeline's proposed route.